Automobile tire-chain tightener



Aug. 14, 1923. 11,464,553

c. WETHERN AUTOMOBILE TIRE CHAIN TIGHTENER Filed June 24. 1921 Fwol I,

. mam/MA fl' atenterl Aug. 14 1 artiste CHARLES wnrnnnn, or nan oneren, Wisconsin.

AUTOMOBILE TIEE-CHAIN 'lIGI-ITENER.

Application filed June 24, 1921; Serial No. 480,032.

To all whom it may, concern:

Be it known that I, Crninnns Nn'rnnnN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Eau Claire, in the county of EauClaire' and State of .Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Tire Chain Tighteners; and I do hereby d'eclarethat'the following is a full, clear,

and exact description thereof. My -1nvent1on refers to ant -skid tire chains and it has for its object to provide.

a simple, economical and efiective resilient three-point, contact means for tensioning such chainsuponthe wheel to which they are attached.

Another object of my invention is to pro? vide a chain tightener of the above character, as .a new article of manufacture, where n a standard type of spring is utilized inconspring is capable of independent movement within the clip to compensate for tension at V the'three points of pull.

With the above and other minor objects in view, theinvention consists .incertain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as are hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed. 7

3o In the drawings:

fragmentof a wheel having attached thereto a chain 'ti 'htener .embod in the features of nection. with a clip; and runner, whereby the lFigure l represents'a side elevation of a to engage certain links of the chain B upon opposite sides of the wheel axis. The spring stretch is arranged to pass through a centrally disposed clip 4, which clip initially comprises a blank thatis folded about the hotly of the spring and having companion apertured ears 5, that are brought together and are confined by an end link 6 of a chain stretch 7, which stretch carries a hook 3 that is similar in construction to the hooks 3.

Attention is-directed to the fact that all of these pa-rtsare standard, and can be purchased in open market, with eXception'of the clip which can be formed; by a simple die operation.

The structure, when thus as sembled, is capable of tightening the tire chain at three points .and any variations in pull strain are compensated for by the clip which will automatically adjust itself to the center of the stretch of coil spring. 7

Thus it'will be seen that a new article of manufacture is developed,,the cost of manufacture or" which is reduced to a minimum and itsefiiciency is equal to or greater than that of chain tighteners wherein the cost of manufacture is comparatively high.

I claim In a device of the class described a close coil spring, an elongated cylinder having a 'upon a line extending longitudinally of said cylinder, a flat ear integral with one of said edges, asecondear integral with the other of sa d edges, said ears being 1n close superficial contact, said firstmentioned ear havinganopening therein, said secondiear havmg an opening aligned with said-first mentioned opening, said openings registering anda chain having an end directed through said openings and secured to said ears.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Eau Claire, in the county of 'Eau Claire and State of Wisconsin.

CHARLES WETHERN. 

